Friday football preview: Playoff semifinals edition

Ten teams will advance to play for state championships next week at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Every team had the same goal when two-a-days began during the sweltering August heat: A trip to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for the LHSAA State Farm Prep Classic. But as the temperatures dropped, so did the number of teams with a legitimate shot.

Now, the playoff journeys for all but the 20 of the 160 best high school football teams across five classifications in Louisiana have come to an end. And by night's end tonight, the 10 teams left standing will have their tickets punched to the 'Dome for next weekend's championship games and a shot at the the ultimate prize.

The New Orleans area is well represented in the playoffs and guaranteed to have at least one team in the Class 4A and 5A finals.

LHSAA football playoffs

There are just two weeks left in the season, and NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune is committed to continuing to provide the best, most complete coverage of the state playoffs. We'll have breaking news, previews, analysis, polls, chats and videos as you follow your favorite team and its players in pursuit of a championship.

Louisiana has a rich football tradition and its fans are some of the most knowledgeable and passionate in the country, so we want to know what you have to say. Join the conversation in our prep football forum, and follow us at twitter.com/nolaprep to stay apprised of the latest playoff news.

Things have been wild out on the trail with football season drawing to a close and recruits able to turn their attention to recruiting. James Smith has been on top of it all, leading the way with all the breaking news that's surfaced.